US Army’s Newest Laser System Hits the Field

The United States has always been at the forefront of military technology. We need to be in order to keep adversaries like Russia and China in check.

Once again, America has taken a leap forward in military technology with the upcoming deployment of more laser weapons. In a news release, Lockheed Martin announced that the U.S. Army will soon be receiving the latest laser weapon that will make our enemies quake in their boots.

The “60 kW-class beam combined fiber laser” was set to be shipped to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command in Huntsville, Alabama, where it will be able to be used on the battlefield in a few years.

Laser systems are still fairly new, though the United States has been perfecting them for several years. The United States Navy has been at the forefront of this technology, with incredibly powerful lasers.

Robert Afzal, Ph.D., Lockheed senior fellow for laser and sensor systems, said the new laser system opens up new uses on the battlefield.

“We have shown that a powerful directed energy laser is now sufficiently light-weight, low-volume and reliable enough to be deployed on tactical vehicles for defensive applications on land, at sea and in the air,” he said in the release.

This new system is small enough to be deployed on vehicles on a battlefield, giving the United States a huge advantage over our enemies.

You can watch a video about these systems here:

Lasers like this new one can be used to shoot down drones or take out enemy tanks and other vehicles from extreme distances. As an added bonus, these systems are orders of magnitude cheaper than the conventional missiles that would produce the same result.

These lasers aren’t like what you might expect if you’re a science fiction fan, but they are an incredible technological achievement.

With our enemies continuing to advance in the field of drones and other weapons systems, having advances laser systems will help guarantee that America can maintain battlefield dominance for years to come.